IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Working Hours

In the IELTS Writing Task 2 exam, topics related to labor law and social policy often require candidates to have a multi-dimensional perspective on the interests of both employees and businesses. Today, we will tackle a very common real-world exam question from this topic group:

Topic: In some countries, laws have been passed to limit the number of hours people are allowed to work. What are the reasons for this policy, and do you think it is a positive or negative change?

With a prompt featuring two direct questions like this, creating a solid outline and equipping yourself with specialized vocabulary is extremely important. The article below, professionally consulted by Ms. Le Tran Thanh Thuy (IELTS 8.0 Instructor at ECE), will provide you with all the ideas, essay structure, and a complete sample essay to fully conquer this exam question.

Vocabulary & Ideas for the Working Hours Limit Topic

To give the essay depth, we will revolve around aspects of health, performance, and finance. Below is the core system of vocabulary and ideas:

Reasons for enacting the law (Possible reasons)

• Work-life balance (phr.): The balance between work and personal life (avoiding work taking up all personal time).

• Overwork (n) / Excessive (adj): Working too hard / Excessive, beyond reasonable limits.

• Intense working pressure (phr.): High work pressure (often leading to stress).

• Burnout (n): Exhaustion due to work.

• Mental and physical health (phr.): Mental and physical health.

• Increased productivity (phr.): Increased work productivity.

• Work properly (phr.): Working effectively and correctly.

• Maintain focus (phr.): Maintaining concentration.

Positive impacts

• Positive development (phr.): A positive development.

• Improve job satisfaction (phr.): Enhancing the level of job satisfaction.

• Enhance employee well-being (phr.): Improving the quality of life for employees.

• Reduce resignation rates (phr.): Reducing resignation rates (Resignation / Quit a job: Leaving a job).

• Avoid forced labor / Labor abuse (phr.): Avoiding forced labor / Labor abuse.

• Protect workers’ rights (phr.): Protecting workers’ rights.

Negative impacts

• Negative change (n): A negative change.

• Financial pressure (phr.): Financial pressure.

• Reduced income / Limited earning opportunities (phr.): Reduced income / Limited earning opportunities.

• Restrict personal choice (phr.): Restricting personal choice, leading to a loss of freedom.

• Work extra hours / Overtime (phr.): Working extra hours.

Topic Analysis & Outline

Topic Analysis:

The prompt requires us to clearly address 2 parts:

1. What are the reasons? -> Explain the reasons for enacting the law.

2. Is it positive or negative? -> Provide a personal opinion.

This is a Direct Questions Essay type, combining cause analysis and stating an opinion.

Detailed Outline:

• Introduction:

  • Paraphrase the prompt: laws have been passed -> regulations have been introduced; limit working hours -> restrict working hours.

  • Thesis statement: Briefly state the reasons to be discussed and affirm that this is a positive step.

• Body 1: Reasons (Reasons for enacting the law)

  • Reduce overwork and intense working pressure -> Improve work-life balance and protect mental and physical health.

  • Increase productivity: Working in moderation helps maintain focus and yields better results (better performance).

• Body 2: Opinion (Opinion supporting the positive aspect)

  • Improve satisfaction (job satisfaction) -> Reduce employee resignation rates (reduce resignation).

  • Protect rights, prevent labor exploitation (prevent labor abuse).

  • (Can concede an additional minor point: Although it may cause financial difficulties for some who want to work more, the overall benefits still outweigh them).

• Conclusion: Reaffirm that this is a necessary and beneficial change, briefly summarizing the reasons mentioned.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Essay

Sample Essay:

In certain nations, restrictions on working hours have been agreed to be passed as laws. This can be attributed to several important factors, namely the promotion of a healthier work-life balance for workers, and in my view, it is a positive step.

The reasons for introducing such regulations are to decrease overwork among employees and improve productivity. In fact, many modern organizations are excessively demanding from their employees by assigning them extremely heavy workloads. As a result, workers’ physical and mental health worsen, so they cannot perform their duties properly. Thus, imposing limitations on hours spent working is proven to be necessary since it can help employees spend more time on relaxing and solving personal matters. This approach can prod people to be more motivated to put forth their best efforts at work, producing better results. This is because tiredness, resulting from working long hours under intense pressure, interferes with their performance.

From my perspective, this policy is a positive force. Firstly, it will strongly increase the job satisfaction of employees, as they will feel much more respected and valued at their workplace. As a result, resignation rates among companies may be lowered, since workers are less likely to quit their jobs due to stress. In addition, the restriction of working hours prevents possible violations of workers’ rights and labor abuses; thus, it guarantees the maintenance of proper and humane working conditions. Although there are concerns regarding possible financial difficulties of some people, the advantages of the policy exceed the disadvantages by far.

To conclude, the limitation of working hours aims at securing workers’ health and increased efficiency, and it is, in my opinion, a beneficial and necessary change.

Compilation of Advanced Vocabulary

Below are valuable collocations extracted from the sample essay. Please make a note of them to diversify your vocabulary:

In summary, for Direct Questions essays on the topic of working hour limitations, creating a clear outline that directly answers each part of the question is a prerequisite to avoid going off-topic. Make the most of the vocabulary system related to labor rights and mental health provided by Ms. Thanh Thuy to strengthen your arguments. Take notes of the “high-scoring” collocations and practice writing under timed conditions to prepare as best as possible. We wish you effective preparation with ECE!